After hitting over 100 points for the first time in his NHL career, Nick Suzuki's stock is pretty high. The 27-year-old centreman took home his first Selke Trophy and led the Montréal Canadiens in points and assists last season.
Despite the high of last season, Nick Suzuki is still an underrated player, both in Canada and in the NHL.
Nick Suzuki is the type of player who gets better every year, which is something every Canadiens fan will want to hear. Throughout his seven years in the league, Suzuki has either met or exceeded his previous season's points total. He has quietly worked his way up from a 41-point season in 2019-20 to vaulting over the 100-point mark last season. He was sixth in points in the NHL last season, fifth in assists, second in power-play points, and 11th in faceoff wins. His one point per game across 63 games was second in the league, behind Connor McDavid.
Suzuki also made the Canadian Olympic team for the first time in his career, scoring two goals in six games. He became the first Montréal Canadiens player to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy since Guy Carbonneau in 1991-92.
All of these things combined still haven't gotten Suzuki into the mainstream chatter for the NHL's top players.
Nick Suzuki remains an underrated player
Suzuki enters the fifth year of his current contract, an eight-year deal with the Canadiens for $7.85 million AAV. He'll continue to be the top centreman for the Canadiens going into next season. Compared to other first-line centres, Suzuki ranks 21st in yearly salary. This not only highlights the Canadiens' roster-building, but also highlights how underrated Suzuki is among his peers.
He only received one first-place vote for the Hart Trophy last season, though he could easily have been Montréal's best player. Kucherov, McDavid, MacKinnon, and Celebrini were the only players who finished above him in that voting, and these are clear household, bona fide names.
Similarly, in 2025, Suzuki was the third-highest Canadian in terms of points in the calendar year. The only players who produced more than him were Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. He even finished ahead of players who are decidedly not underrated, including Macklin Celebrini and Sidney Crosby.
Even at the Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, analysts were advocating for Brad Marchand to replace him in the quarter-finals, saying that Suzuki was holding back Nathan MacKinnon. This came despite Suzuki being the sixth-best Canadian in generating offence going into the quarter-finals.
Even if Suzuki only puts up a predicted 98 points next season, he'll still be producing at a level above or near many of the top centremen in the league. The more he competes at the best level and helps the Canadiens show their potential, he'll start to be recognized for the elite player he truly is.
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